Do you find yourself thinking, “What can I do to positively affect the mental health of the children I encounter?” If you are a parent, congratulations! You are the best. If you are not a parent and you are having this thought, you are a great community member. Kudos!

You must have realized that being a child in today’s world is in some respects far more challenging than years before. The education system is ever-increasing and demanding. This, combined with keeping up with social media can contribute to feelings of anxiety and unhappiness. So what can you do to help young children with their mental health and happiness?

Choose Positive Playschool, Teachers, and Staff

Young children spend up to eight hours per day, sometimes longer, at playschool. Peers, teachers, and support staff influence the student’s attitude and behaviour. Emotions are contagious and it is in everybody’s best interest to cultivate the positive ones often. At Choo Choo Train, the teachers and staffs have a support network to manage their job-related stressors. There is always at least one person who oversees the operation (Supervisor) and she will offer help to the teachers when they need it.

Engage In Your Child’s Learning

When you as a primary caregiver gets and remains involved in your child’s life, your child can flourish. Playschools today have several family engagement programs and practices that will improve students’ outcome and the school itself like:

• Using social networks to engage parents in their child’s development. For example, a school app and a WhatsApp chat group.
• Providing opportunities for parents to get involved in their child’s education at school or at home. For example, assisting with classroom projects and attending school trips.

Get Involved as A Community Member

One thing you can easily do to help with young children’s mental health and happiness is to donate books that discuss the subject to parents/teachers/playschools. There are so many interesting books written for children that you can explore and then pass to a family or a school. You can also share more articles about early childhood mental health like this one to your social media so that more adults can be aware of this.

Bonus Info

Want a quick way to boost your child’s happiness? Hug him or her for seven seconds!

According to Dr Andy Cope of Art of Brilliance, “Most hugs only last 2.1 seconds, but to get the maximum love-surge, they need to last seven seconds or longer, so introducing the seven-second hug is a really easy way of making your child feel special.”